


An Act Against One

by Lunarium



Category: The Goblin Emperor - Katherine Addison
Genre: F/M, Gap Filler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2015-12-21
Packaged: 2018-05-08 03:49:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5482247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunarium/pseuds/Lunarium
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>How long does it take for one to truly know her husband?</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Act Against One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [theletterelle](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theletterelle/gifts).



> Written with love for theletterelle! I really liked Hesero and I wanted to know more of what she did with the news of the mistreatment of Maia, so this was a joy to write. :) 
> 
> Many thanks to my wonderful beta AmyFortuna!

Thanking her cousin Maia for returning her husband to her turned out not as genuinely heartfelt no matter how much she tried. It was impossible the moment Maia showed her the scars on his arm, the moment when she felt the ground give way from under her, her once stable world threatened with an uncovered truth kept away from her for many years. 

She had watched Maia and Setheris, her eyes observing them for gleaning whatever clues she could gather of the life they led in Edonomee. When Setheris was given pardon, she left with him, but she did not feel as glad as she should have. He _was_ still her husband, but her heart wept for the young emperor her cousin. 

Her mind still turned back to the scars along Maia’s left arm, imagining the poor boy thrown against the firescreen during a fit of rage. It was impossible to think the man next to her, his arm held out for her to take hold of, would be capable of such cruelty. His touches had only ever been kind, tender, loving. She only ever knew love from Setheris, a man loyal to the law and to the emperor. But how long does it take for one to truly know her husband? 

But she had seen the evidence of his cruelty, as had the nohecharei and the emperor’s secretary. She had not imagined them, and she would be an utter fool to turn a blind eye from them. 

She kept silent in their walk back to their home. It was not an uncommon occurrence. They kept all gossip behind closed doors as they often mistrusted all who might overhear them. 

When they reached their home at last, Setheris sighed, and muttered, “Gratitude to His Serenity on my safe homecoming.” 

Hesero smiled but said no word, her mind still deep in thought. 

She had a servant prepare them some tea. Just before the servant went off to complete her task, Hesero pulled her aside and added in a whisper to hide any of the bottles of metheglin. Then she retreated to her bedroom. It was separate from her husband’s, though not out of lack of love. Their home was vast enough to accommodate rooms for many, but they were unlucky in conceiving children. They had each taken one room as their office, and one to share for intimacy. The shared room had fallen out of use, though they still enjoyed it for merely being in one another’s arms. 

She settled at her writing desk with some paper, and pulled out her ink bottle and pen, writing a note as clearly as she could despite the shakiness of her hands and the speed in which she wrote, hoping to get the letter done before her absence took too long. After sealing the letter she tucked it aside to be given to a courier, once she had a moment to speak with her husband. Though she would much rather send the letter now, she knew it would be more successful to speak to her husband first. He would be displeased, she knew, but she knew how to get him to have a change of heart. 

The servant had already brought out the tea and some biscuits, and Setheris was waiting for her while looking through the newspaper. 

“Thou wert gone a while,” he said affectionately, offering her a smile. Undoubtedly he hoped they would celebrate the emperor’s pardon of him. He perhaps had mind to use their shared bedroom later tonight, though the passion from their younger days had run mostly dry, leaving behind the affection in their hearts that still ran as strong as the first day they met. Hesero remembered it fondly, which only made her current disconnect even more surreal. 

“Thou must forgive me, husband,” she said. “Memories have seized me this evening.” 

“I never think ill of thee,” Setheris said, smiling fondly, but he kept his eyes on her, wondering if there was more she was going to say. 

Hesero settled at her sofa chair. The servant poured some tea for her, precisely the way she liked it best, and laid out a couple of biscuits on a plate. Thanking her, Hesero took one sip, then settled the saucer off to the side. 

“There was a man near the manor where I grew up,” Hesero began. Setheris leaned forward, always interested in listening to his wife’s tales. “A quiet town on the outskirts of Thu-Cethor. He was an elf, respectable and elderly. All of the children liked going to his manor, for it was open to everyone, and he was always ready to entertain. After our classes we would go there and he would have tables set out with snacks, and he would play for us. Even when it was summer and classes did not run, I visited the manor as often as I could. 

“There was a young man in the manor, a grandson, but everyone knew he was sickly and couldn’t have visitors. He lived in the second story bedroom, and the most we ever had contact with him was shouting our hellos and goodbyes and well wishes, and seeing him weakly wave from the window. 

“Then news came of the young man's death. The first time I saw him — indeed, the first time _anyone_ saw him — was at the wake. The people of my hometown, as thou knowst, have a tradition that the top half of the tomb is opened to show the body during the wake, before they are then closed and the body is buried. Setheris, his body was covered in bruises. There was not one inch of him left unblemished.”

Setheris’s face, which was warm and relaxed during her story, turned to stone. 

“Needless to say, the man’s house was searched; it became a big investigation, and after a few months the entire story had come to light: the man had been abusing his grandson for years. Every time he reached for the metheglin bottle, it meant another black eye for the young man, another broken arm, another fall down the stairs. 

“He murdered him. Her murdered his own grandson in a drunken rage.

"He wasn't much older than the emperor is now.

“And all this time he was entertaining us, the entire quiet village. We had no idea he had a problem, a violence and a malice that slept inside him. And he _was_ a good man, Setheris. He was kind and helpful to us. He was good with the children and the students - that is, until the day he nearly killed another. One of the village children. 

“It happened shortly before his arrest. The boy had come to ask him about the grandson, why he could hurt someone so young and innocent, when the man just lashed out, this kind and quiet and gentle man, and almost snapped the boy’s neck. There was no more waiting. He was arrested and taken away, and his house was boarded up by the next morning. I refused to ever walk near his house since that day. The once bustling road leading to the man’s house became a ghost town, completely deserted, as we each took different routes after our classes. None of us could bear the sight of it.” 

She ended her tale and drank some more tea, noting the thickness of the silence in the air. Setheris just sat and studied her as she dipped a biscuit, taking a bite, before returning to him. She smiled politely. 

“Why doest thou tell me this tell, beloved?” he finally asked. 

“I know about the firescreen,” she said. “Thou wert cruel to our cousin.” 

“I was drunk,” he explained, gritting his teeth at the memory. “He wouldn’t get out of my way! He made me snap, and I would have snapped his neck, the dim-witted hobgoblin!” 

“Husband!” Hesero gasped. “Beloved, please. Thou hast spoken ill against the _emperor._ And doest thou not see how metheglin affects thee?”

“It has not affected me!” Setheris retorted, getting to his feet. “I can stop whenever I wish, wife! Has that filthy hobgoblin altered thy wits?”

He raised his hand, and Hesero gasped, the teacup slipped out of her hands. It shattered against the floor, its sound bringing Setheris back to his senses. He blinked, then, noting the fear in Hesero’s eyes, he lowered his hand and fell back into his seat. Hesero placed her hand over her heart, wondering if that was how it had felt for Maia. 

She noted how much Setheris’s hands shook. 

“Pardon me, beloved,” Setheris spoke quietly. “It has been a very difficult past few years.” 

“Thou canst not keep making excuses, dear husband,” Hesero said. It was her turn to stand up, minding the broken pieces on the floor. She sat before Setheris and clasped his hands in hers. 

“The emperor had pardoned thee and allowed thee to remain here with me, but I have one request.” 

Her words were only love, and Setheris could not deny her. He held her hands back, tightly, as if suddenly seeing the dangerous downward spiral his actions could take him. 

“I wish to hire a specialized healer to help wean thee off the metheglin. There will be no more in this house.” 

“But—”

“We cannot take chances, dear husband,” Hesero said. “Thou art a good man, no? And an act against one is an act against all, Setheris. Just as my neighbor had eventually lashed out at us, so might you.” 

He said nothing, though he was frowning. There was no anger, but he could see her point. 

“Please, husband, thou needst healing,” Hesero urged. “I do not wish to see another situation like that of the old man happen again. If they take thee away, I may never see thee again.” Setheris clearly struggled with agreeing, but seeing the look in her eyes, he finally relented, nodding and placing a hand on his heart to honor his promise to her. For her, he would heal.


End file.
